tl20030901-000 "The Toilierilitlib Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Monday, 9/1/03 URG touts Fall semester line up 5 TU student dies in car accident 8 Suits challenge file sharing rights 13 'Splendor' draws on everyday life 13 Departments Opinion 2 News 5 Arts 13 Sound Bites 14 Entertainment Briefs 14 Classifieds 17 Sports 20 Athlete of the Week 19 In this Corner 20 Caret to introduce 'Template' Fall Address marks end of transitional period; University goals expected topic of first speech Cailin McGough The Towerlight The last two months have been busy for Robert Caret. Since becoming Towson's 12th president July 1, Caret has met with campus representatives, consulted his Transition Advisory Team and made adjustments to staff � all while moving his family across the country and squeezing in a round of golf with the governor. With today marking two months in office, the transition phase is largely over. Thursday, Caret is expected to share an outline of goals for the University in his Fall Address, which will mark his first speech to the gen-eral University community since tak-ing office. ""I want to have specific measura-ble goals in [the address],"" Caret said from his third-floor office in the Administration Building last week. ""If we're talking about grants and contracts for exam-ple, [we should ask] what are we bring-ing in now? What do we want to be bringing in five years from now? What mix do we want to bring in five years from now?"" Termed the 'Template for Progress,' the goals are the result of a summer spent analyzing feedback from a number of focus groups; a process that began before Caret even arrived on campus. In May, Caret asked Jim Clements and Ted Zaleski to elicit opinions from groups ranging from the Student Government Association to the Board of Visitors. Throughout the summer, repre-sentatives from each focus group met as a Transition Advisory Team to discuss the information, looking at ways to improve student experi-ence, resources and image of the University. In a final meeting Aug. 20, the group discussed tag lines for the University and worked to narrow down the ""three to five most impor-tant things that we need to address immediately,"" Caret said. Zaleski called the effort very suc-cessful. ""We looked for common threads, things all groups on campus were interested in,"" he said. Discussions with the Transition Advisory Team and other councils fed into his interpretation of the issues, Caret said. He said he gained focus particularly into short-term goals he will discuss Thursday. Changes made to administration With the Fall Address behind him, Caret will begin a search for an executive assistant to the President. Caret said he is considering three versions of the search: an internal search (on-campus), a regional search (Washington-Baltimore corri-dor) or a national search. Zaleski has filled the role since late July. ""He's done a great job as an interim so the pressure's off. I don't have to hire immediately,"" he said. The summer also saw other changes in upper-level administrative positions. In July, Caret asked that Paul Parker resume his former title of vice president for student affairs and report directly to him, though Parker will continue to work closely with the Provost's office. In addition, searches are under-way to fill the posts of provost and dean of the College of Education. Former provost and interim presi-dent Dan Jones, meanwhile, is on administrative leave and plans to retire after the Spring semester. Jones said he is having a great time traveling and ""getting on with life I've deferred for a long time."" The former English professor said he wants to do some writing and hopes to return to TU to teach a few cours-es in ""difficult European fiction."" ""When I stepped away from teach- See GUILFORD, page 7 ""The University has had 137 years of history. We've had a few bumps recently but we can't let the bumps provide direction for the future."" Robert L. Caret President Saul Staagenka/Tha Towerlight Caret will be installed as Towson's 12th president in a ceremony Nov 7. Connecting with TU's campus... over coffee Cailin McGough The Towerlight Standing before 2,000 freshmen, President Robert Caret encouraged his audience to ""get involved, meet people, get connected"" and take an active role in their education. ""You don't know where it's going to take you,"" he said later. ""I don't use chemistry much anymore unless I'm tending bar, but I did function as a chemist for many years. But the thing that allows me to be college president is not what my major was but just a small piece of it."" To illustrate his point, Caret gives the ""short version"" of his life story, describing life in a small Maine town where going to college wasn't the norm. ""My parents never went to col-lege, and I didn't have any real guid-ance except that I was reasonably bright so I knew I would go to col-lege; I didn't know why exactly, but it seemed like the reasonable thing to do,"" he said. At school in Boston, a faculty member became his best friend, convincing him to change his major to chemistry, lining up research positions after graduation, and eventually persuading him to attend graduate school. ""The point of the story is I don't come from an elite background; I'm See MEETINGS, page 7 Today High 75 Low 64 Tuesday High 77 Low 65 Wednesday High 78 Low 67 Thursday High 81 Low 64 Friday High 79 Low 60 "
